1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to machine vision systems and, more specifically, to a system and method for automatically identifying the level of liquids in a vessel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Machine vision plays an important role in automated and robotic systems, such as assembly line manufacturing, quality control inspection, and sample processing. Conventional systems are generally comprised of an optical imager, such as a charged coupled device (CCD) or similar device using digital imaging technology, which is positioned to capture images of objects that pass in front of the imager. In low-light or enclosed applications, machine vision systems may include an illumination source, such as a bank of light emitting diodes (LEDs), positioned proximately to the imager. The images are subsequently processed to decode information contained in the resulting two-dimensional image, such as 1D linear codes, 2D stacked/matrix codes, OCR fonts, and postal codes. The image captured by the machine vision system may also be subjected to more advanced processing, such as shape recognition or detection algorithms, that provide information about the object of interest in the image.
In robotic sample handling systems, such as blood analyzers and the like, samples are moved to and from diagnostic modules for automatic testing and retesting using a loading rack that holds a plurality of carriers, such as test tubes filled with samples. The samples are generally contained within vessels, such as test tubes, that are accessed by the handling system for testing procedures. For example, a pipette may be lowered into a test tube and used to withdraw a predetermined amount of fluid from the test tube for further processing. In order to perform a proper withdrawal, the robotic handling system must be able to determine the appropriate distance into the vessel into which the pipette must be inserted in order to position the tip of the needle in the appropriate portion of the sample. For example, a test tube containing a blood sample that has been treated and centrifuged may contain multiple, individual layers of liquids that result from the separation of the blood and treatment materials. The proper location of the pipette may therefore require determining the location of the various layers so that the pipette may be inserted the appropriate distance into the vessel so that material from any of the layers may be withdrawn for further processing.
Current methods for determining liquid levels are relatively ineffective and do not provide accurate information. For example, capacitive approaches cannot determine the type of cap placed on the vessel, do not provide any information about sample quality, and will not work if the vessel contains a layer of foam. In addition, capacitive approaches have low reliability with respect to the detection of the location of the level. Ultrasonic approaches are also unable to detect the type of cap, will not work if there is a cap or if there are multiple layer levels, do not provide any information about sample quality, will not work with foam, and are only moderately effective. Finally, pressure based systems are also unable to determine the type of cap, will not work if a cap is present, cannot detect multiple layers, cannot provide any information about sample quality, will not work if foam is present, and are only moderately accurate. All of these approaches also require contact with the vessel or very close proximity to the vessel for operation.